The Big Freeze of ten years ago...

[summer blizzard]

4 hours ago, Deep Snow please said:

Probably entering into the realm of lunacy here but didn't the Iceland volcano ground flights across much of Europe as well, I've long thought reduced air travel has an impact on weather and increases snow chances. A very good sign for this winter if that is the case with Covid grounding so many planes. 

If memory serves it was only VEI4, you really want VEI6.

[North-Easterly Blast]

If you look at the way global temperatures have risen, and the way the UK's weather has mostly warmed over the last 30 odd years, December 2010 goes to show that an exceptionally cold month could still occur in the UK, a decade ago, if a favourable pattern is there, and still come very close to the all time cold record.

[Snowyowl9]

This cold spell has been the longest spell at this time of year ranging from end of december since 2009/10 with snowfall at exactly 2 weeks,2009/10 gave 18 days.

But 1996/97 topped that at 3 weeks.

2000/01 at 9 days.

2002/03 gave 7 days.

1995/96 with 16 days

 

[damianslaw]

5 hours ago, Snowyowl9 said:

This cold spell has been the longest spell at this time of year ranging from end of december since 2009/10 with snowfall at exactly 2 weeks,2009/10 gave 18 days.

But 1996/97 topped that at 3 weeks.

2000/01 at 9 days.

2002/03 gave 7 days.

1995/96 with 16 days

 

Yes good going, in terms of cold not on a par with 95-96, 96-97 or 09-10, also for most neither in terms of snowfall. A spell more akin to the end of Dec 2008 and start to  Jan 09, which too came after a long long period of only shortlived cold weather.. quite a few similarities with then and now...

[Snowyowl9]

On 10/01/2021 at 23:15, damianslaw said:

Yes good going, in terms of cold not on a par with 95-96, 96-97 or 09-10, also for most neither in terms of snowfall. A spell more akin to the end of Dec 2008 and start to  Jan 09, which too came after a long long period of only shortlived cold weather.. quite a few similarities with then and now...

2008/09 gave around 2 weeks too it that was more a freezing fog event here from the east,strange how you forget about cold spells without the lying snow .

[Northernlights]

On 29/12/2020 at 16:39, Deep Snow please said:

Probably entering into the realm of lunacy here but didn't the Iceland volcano ground flights across much of Europe as well, I've long thought reduced air travel has an impact on weather and increases snow chances. A very good sign for this winter if that is the case with Covid grounding so many planes. 

I am with you about the lack of aircraft with  tens of thousands mothballed on desert airfields. It may not be a big driver but combine this with end of solar minimum a weak polar vortex and the SSW then I still feel that late winter and spring especially in Scotland stand a high chance of being very wintery .

[Chesil View]

On 05/12/2020 at 01:19, Thundershine said:

The coldest December on record was actually 1890.

I lived in Buxton, Derbyshire in December 2010. Had about 13" of snow at the deepest. I commuted into Manchester during that time and at least in the center of the city there was very little snow all month. It was a cold month, but not especially by global standards.

That may be true nationally, but here in Dorset. Dec 2010 was colder and snowier than Dec 1890. 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Broadmayne blizzard